The Grand Tour Read online

  “Not suitable?” Kate said. “What do you mean?”

  “Ah …” Cavalier Coducci glanced at Kate, then at me. “They require difficult ingredients and so on.”

  “Difficult ingredients?”

  “A human heart, for instance,” Thomas said. “Not necessarily difficult to obtain, if one isn’t scrupulous, but extremely difficult to explain to the authorities if one hopes to publish a paper on the subject.”

  Kate shuddered. “Not suitable, indeed.”

  “You are, I take it, attempting to reconstruct more, ah, suitable spells in order to test your theories?” James said to Cavalier Coducci.

  “Yes, yes, you have it,” Cavalier Coducci said with some relief. “The primary problem is in recovering the ritual objects, for, of course, they are much more difficult to detect.”

  “Because those spells weren’t used as often?” Kate said. “Or because the unsuitable spells were more powerful and left more traces?”

  Cavalier Coducci looked at her with mingled surprise and caution. “Both, I believe. Are you also a magician then, Lady Schofield?”

  “Er, no,” Kate said.

  “What sorts of spells have you been trying to reconstruct?” I asked. “And if Venice is so difficult a place for magicians, how can you work here?”

  “Oh, I do not work here,” Cavalier Coducci said. “The testing is much too delicate a process. I have a laboratory in Firenze, and another in Milano. But Venezia is my home.” There was a moment of pensive silence, then he shook his head. “Enough, enough. Your father’s letter said you might have questions regarding the antiquities you have seen. What is it you wish to know?”

  Since he had asked in so straightforward a manner, I replied in the same way. “There are two things. First, during our travels, we have visited a number of different antiquities, and it has seemed to me that some of them are similar, perhaps even related. Yet they were constructed at different times by completely different peoples. I was hoping you could explain the puzzle.” From my reticule, I took the list of places where we suspected that magical rituals had been performed and handed it to him.

  Cavalier Coducci glanced at it and smiled. “You are perceptive, Signora Tarleton. But then, I would expect no less of the daughter of the Signor Rushton. These are all places where royal rituals took place.”

  “Royal rituals?” James asked in a bored tone that belied his interest.

  “The rituals that made a man of royal blood truly the ruler of his people,” Cavalier Coducci replied. “Among ancient tribes, it was not enough merely to be the son of the ruler. Rituals were required to confirm the authority of the chieftain or king.”

  “Like a coronation?” Kate said.

  “Very like,” Cavalier Coducci said, giving her a sharp look. His voice took on a lecturing quality. “Most coronation ceremonies are, in fact, derived from the most effective of those ancient rituals. Oddly, the modern versions are seldom as effective as the older rituals purport to be, despite the application of the most current magical theories. There are, of course, various theories as to why this should be. Monsieur Montier avers that the primary reason is the lack of continuity of place—few modern-day monarchs wish to be crowned in the caves and crypts that our ancestors so often used. Herr Rüstach maintains that the fundamental nature of magic has changed and developed over time, and that this is necessarily reflected in the progress we have made in other areas. He feels that the coronation rituals are less effective because monarchs and emperors are outdated, in other words. Of course, he is considered quite radical.

  “I myself feel that the problem is twofold, and not subject to simple correction. On the one hand, continuity is of great importance for the royal rituals—continuity not merely of place but of blood, of process, and of implements. As Monsieur Montier pointed out, few modern coronations take place in the locations the ancients used. Fewer still make use of the old instruments our ancestors used; indeed, it is not possible for them to do so in many cases, as the ancient crowns and swords and cloaks and so on have been lost or melted down or rotted away. Bloodlines, too, are not as continuous as one might like in many cases. Of course, that is precisely what the rituals were intended to remedy, so I deem it a minor difficulty compared to the others.

  “But most important, in my opinion, is the change in process, which I believe began with the rise of the Roman Empire. When they outlawed human sacrifice throughout their Empire, they disrupted a great many of the oldest royal rituals and spells. Their conquests also obviously caused breaks in the continuity of bloodlines, as the chieftains and rulers led their armies against Rome and were killed or taken as slaves. And, naturally, quite a lot of the more valuable ritual items were looted.” Cavalier Coducci shook his head. “The Romans have a great deal to answer for.”

  “Indeed,” Thomas said in a noncommittal tone.

  “You must not think I am advocating a return to that sort of magic,” Cavalier Coducci said quickly. “I regret the loss of knowledge, that is all. Only think what wonders we might accomplish if we could apply modern theories of magic to the old rituals!”

  “It all sounds utterly fascinating,” I said. “Have you any duplicates of your work that you could share? I am sure Papa would be very interested, if you have not already sent them to him.”

  James gave me a Look, but did not say anything. Cavalier Coducci was very willing to provide us with all of his published monographs, and even promised to send over some of his notes on the spells he had tried to re-create, as soon as he copied them.

  That settled, he said, “And what was your other question? I believe you said there were two.”

  I handed him my second list, the one of missing regalia that the Duke of Wellington had given James. “We were wondering about—” I broke off. Cavalier Coducci had gone as white as his hair. “What is wrong?” I said.

  “What game are you playing?” Cavalier Coducci demanded.

  “What do you mean?” I said, a little startled.

  “This … this …” He thrust the list at me. It was shaking visibly.

  “Obviously, it has great significance to you,” James said. “I trust you will explain it to the rest of us in due time.”

  “You mock me, Sir!”

  “I do not,” James said gravely. “The things on the list you hold have been stolen from their respective owners, and we are trying to discover anything that would lead us to the thief.”

  I looked at James with surprise, for we had agreed in advance to be circumspect, and while he had not told Cavalier Coducci quite everything, his statement was hardly as indirect as I would have liked. James’s bluntness, however, had an extraordinary effect on Cavalier Coducci. The paper trembled in his hand as he looked at James. “Stolen?” he said in a hoarse whisper.

  James nodded.

  “I had nothing to do with it!” Cavalier Coducci said, thrusting the list at James. “Nothing! I would never—It is unthinkable!”

  “Somebody’s thinking it, whatever it is,” Thomas said in a tone that was a little too firm for politeness. “If you—”

  “Oh, Thomas, not just now,” said Kate, of all people. “Cavalier Coducci has clearly had a shock; give him a moment to collect himself. Pray, sit down, Cavalier, and—and rest a moment. Would you like me to ring for a glass of water?”

  And in very little time at all, she had him settled in a large, heavily carved chair, with the rest of us arrayed around him. Thomas half sat on one of the tables, his left foot on the floor and his right dangling casually. James stood close behind me, while Kate fussed over our host. In a short while, he had regained some color, and Kate smiled at him and said, “Do you feel well enough to tell us about it now?” And Cavalier Coducci did.

  He had, apparently, been working on his reconstructions of ancient spells for many years. In fact, despite his modesty on the subject, it was quite clear that he was known as an expert in the area. Though his theories were not altogether popular, other antiquarians often sent him a
ncient objects they suspected of being magical in nature, for him to test or identify.

  A few years previously, shortly before Napoleon Bonaparte’s first defeat, he had been asked to evaluate an extensive collection amassed by one of his countrymen. The collection—

  “In Milan?” Thomas interrupted.

  “No, in Rome,” Cavalier Coducci said.

  “Ah. Carry on.”

  The collection had taken several months to work through, and Cavalier Coducci had become quite familiar with its owner. They had a number of “stimulating discussions” on a wide range of subjects, including both politics and the reconstruction of ancient spells. Finding themselves in agreement—they both despised Napoleon Bonaparte, and they both felt that it would be possible to apply modern magical theory to fill in gaps of knowledge in ancient spells—they “reconstructed” a spell that had never existed. An imperial coronation spell.

  “There was no ancient Emperor of all Europe,” Cavalier Coducci said earnestly. “The Romans came nearest, but they were later and did not use magic in the ways the ancients did to reinforce the right and power of a ruler. And some of the items I chose for the ritual were … known to be much too recent in origin to have been part of any real spell, if there had been a real spell of that kind.”

  “Items like the Sainte Ampoule?” Thomas murmured.

  “No, that one is quite old enough to have been used in pre-Roman rulership rites,” Cavalier Coducci said. “The Spanish coronation robe, however, dates only to the twelfth century, though Señora La Sola has theorized that it incorporates pieces of older—” He broke off, shaking his head. “I don’t suppose it matters much, now.”

  “You mean to say that this ritual you designed would magically make someone Emperor of Europe?” James said carefully.

  “Oh, not just anyone,” Cavalier Coducci said. “He would have to be of noble birth, to begin with, probably even of royal blood, though there are innumerable descendants of forgotten kings and chieftains about. And the candidate would have to meet certain other requirements—it was really quite complicated. But it would have worked.”

  “How?” Thomas demanded. “You can’t just wave a hand or dab some oil on someone’s forehead and get everyone to acknowledge him Emperor!”

  “Not in the political realm, not all at once,” Cavalier Coducci said. “But if—if someone, or his deputy, were to complete the ritual, he would have … a certain advantage in convincing people. Or conquering them. As we saw with Napoleon Bonaparte.”

  “Napoleon used this ritual of yours?” I said. “I thought you didn’t invent it until after he was defeated!”

  Cavalier Coducci shook his head. “He did not use my ritual; if he had, I doubt that he would have been so easily defeated.” James and Thomas looked at him in disbelief. Cavalier Coducci did not appear to notice. “But Bonaparte did something,” he continued. “Not as effective as my ritual would have been, but I saw the man once, years ago when his armies marched through Italy, and the traces were unmistakable. It is why we created our ritual—we thought that the only way to be rid of Bonaparte would be to create someone with a stronger spell to defeat him.”

  Cavalier Coducci sighed. “Before we had quite finished, Napoleon had been defeated after all. So we did not publish our ritual. With Napoleon gone at last, there seemed no need.”

  “But now someone appears to be collecting the objects necessary to complete your spell,” James said.

  Cavalier Coducci nodded. “And if someone is serious enough to attempt the ritual—” He sagged in his chair. “It will be a second Bonaparte, rampaging across all Europe. And I am too old to see more wars.”

  We all looked at him for a moment, appalled. “I think you had better give us a copy of that ritual,” Thomas said at last. “Including all the details. And the name of your antiquarian friend in Rome.”

  “I will be happy to provide you with the ritual,” Cavalier Coducci said, “but I fear the Cavalier Pescara died two years ago. If he kept a copy in his papers, I do not know who would have inherited it. I can give you the name of the agent who handled his affairs, however—a very respectable Roman firm.”

  Thomas frowned. “Very useful, I’m sure, but since we will undoubtedly be on our way to Vienna shortly—”

  “No! You must stop this madman,” Cavalier Coducci said.

  “Of course,” James said. “That’s why we’re going to Vienna. That’s where Napoleon’s son is.”

  Cavalier Coducci stared at him in bewilderment. “Bonaparte’s son? What has he to do with the matter? You cannot stop the ritual in Vienna! Vienna is not old enough. The imperial ritual can only be completed in Rome.”

  We had a quiet journey home from Cavalier Coducci’s palazzo. This was in part due to the weather; the annoying drizzle that had dampened everything on the way there had become a downpour that showed no sign of letting up. The rain was heavy enough to make me wonder if the gondola we had to take for part of the way might be swamped, but in the event, we reached our lodgings safely. Thomas and James were most solicitous of Kate and me as we climbed in and out of the boat, though there was no real need. Kate only repeats her minor mishaps; her major ones are invariably unique. Besides, we were all of us soaked through from the rain already.

  Kate and I retired to dry out our garments, which took some time. The four of us did not meet again until dinner. Thomas arrived a bit late, carrying a thick sheaf of papers. “Cavalier Coducci is prompt,” he said. “Also thorough. He appears to have sent along the latest copies of all of his research on spell reconstruction, not merely that imperial ritual he invented and the monographs Cecy asked for.”

  “Appears to?” James said.

  “It’s all in Italian,” Thomas said. “I can make out the sense of it, but the sense of it isn’t enough for spell casting. Not that I’d want to cast some of these. Difficult ingredients, indeed!” He looked rather grim. No one asked for specifics.

  James reached for the handful of papers.

  “Not over dinner,” Kate and I said simultaneously. We looked at each other, and I continued, “You’ll get crumbs on them, and there won’t be room for you to spread out, and you’ll be unhappy because you can’t give them your full attention and eat at the same time, and you’ll make mistakes.”

  “And I’m sure to spill something on the most crucial page,” Kate added. “Wait until later.”

  James and Thomas exchanged glances. “You sound quite positive,” James said in a mild tone.

  “It’s experience,” I told him. “Papa used to try to go over manuscripts at dinner sometimes, no matter what Aunt Elizabeth said. It never worked, and he was always in a bad mood for weeks afterward.”

  “Ah,” said Thomas, and he tucked the papers inside his jacket. They made an unsightly bulge, but there was no more talk of immediate translation.

  I expected dinner to be more hurried than usual as a result of all this, but it is impossible to hurry Italians, particularly where food is concerned, even if they are not eating it themselves. The servants brought in each course in due time, no matter what. I think Thomas would have bolted after the antipasti if James had not given him a stern look.

  Between courses, we talked. None of us had the least doubt that the thefts the Duke of Wellington had asked us about were related to Cavalier Coducci’s ill-advised imperial spell, but beyond that, our opinions varied. Thomas thought that Eve-Marie was waiting for some final artifact that would be necessary to the spell, and that we should stay in Venice to intercept it. James thought that Eve-Marie was a decoy, and that we should proceed to Vienna with haste, as the Conte di Capodoro and Lord Mountjoy had likely taken the northern road there already. Kate and I thought that we should go to Rome; Kate, because in Rome we might learn more from the agent who had handled the estate of Cavalier Coducci’s deceased friend, and I, because Cavalier Coducci had said the spell could only be finished in Rome, so the conspirators would have to go there at some point, and it seemed to me more useful for us
to be in Rome waiting for them than to continue chasing after them and perhaps arrive too late.

  James was much struck by this argument, but Thomas frowned. “We have only Cavalier Coducci’s opinion that the ritual must be completed in Rome,” he said. “That’s why I want a look at these papers before we make any decisions. I’ve no doubt that he’s quite expert when it comes to ancient spells, but modern magic has improved a good deal in the past few years, and I suspect he hasn’t kept up with the latest developments.”

  “Good point,” James said. “The spell was already an adaptation; if someone found a way to adapt it a little more, so that it could just as well be completed in, say, Vienna …”

  “But how could Lord Mountjoy or the Conte di Capodoro have discovered the ritual?” Kate said.

  “The Conte is a collector of antiquities,” I pointed out. “Perhaps he purchased some of the collection Cavalier Coducci evaluated.” A thought struck me, and I looked at James. “Some of them may have been part of the exhibit Kate and I saw in Milan! We must send to Cavalier Coducci in the morning, to see if he remembers any particular pieces.”

  “I don’t think that’s likely, but I can’t see that it would hurt anything to ask,” James said. “It will take us more than an evening to decipher all that Cavalier Coducci sent us, in any case. There’s plenty of time for it.”

  The next course arrived, a savory fish in wine sauce, and we were silent for a few moments as it was dished up. Then Kate said, “What puzzles me is Mr. Strangle.”

  “He would puzzle anyone,” Thomas said. “Don’t think of him.”

  “I don’t mean his… his death,” Kate said. “I mean what he was up to. He can’t have been simply collecting stolen goods for Lord Mountjoy, you know.”